The number of push-ups you should be able to do, according to your age

 Even for established gym bunnies, reaching the end of a set of push-ups can sometimes feel like a bit of a slog.

But a push-up can often be a good indicator of your overall strength, particularly your upper body form.

It’s not just about looking impressive in the gym, either. Working on your chest, shoulders, core and tricepts will help you lug a heavy suitcase up a flight of stairs, improve your posture, aid joint pain, and enable you to push yourself back up after a fall.

At 66, Simon Cowell previously claimed he completes up to 1,000 each day. Consider us impressed. But how many should you be able to do?

Metro chatted to two personal trainers to find out the ideal push-up range, based on your age.

Not meeting the mark? Fear not: there’s a sneaky improvement plan in there too.

How many push-ups should you be able to do in your 20s?

Personal trainer Joseph Webb tells Metro the answer depends on ‘form, bodyweight, training history, and physical limitations.’ The most important thing isn’t necessarily the number of reps: it’s the movement pattern itself.

‘If someone can’t do a push‑up with solid technique yet, a perfect kneeling push‑up is a huge and meaningful achievement, and should be the first goal before worrying about hitting age‑norm numbers,’ Joseph explains.

However, Joseph suggests that men in their 20s should be able to do an average of between 30 and 43 push-ups, adding that between 30 and 54+ is an ‘excellent’ measure of overall fitness.

For women, between 15 and 29 is the average, but between 14 and 48+ is even better.

‘A slow, full-range push-up with a neutral spine is far more valuable than chasing a big number with poor mechanics,’ he adds.

‘This simply leads to poor posture and inevitable injury.’

In your 30s?

Throughout your 30s, Joseph suggests aiming for the following:

Men: Between 20 and 34 on average (or 22-44+ to hit that ‘excellent’ band)

Women: Between 10 and 24 on average (or 10 to 39+).

‘Push‑ups are an excellent barometer of upper‑body strength and core stability, but quality always beats arbitrary quantity,’ he adds.

‘Use age‑based benchmarks as targets, not evaluations. Build strength gradually, safely, and in context with the rest of someone’s physical profile.